The Polish photographer was born in 1990. He studied International Relations at the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań and from 2014 he co-organized the Poznań Design Festival. He works as architecture photographer and visual marketing specialist in fashion art. Franek is the founder of the Poznań Instagrammers Community and a member of the oldest Polish collective of mobile photography enthusiasts Grupa Mobilni. He was awarded during international photography competitions like Mobile Photography Awards 2017 (honorable mention in the "Architecture" category) and the iPhone Photography Awards 2018 (third place in the "Abstract" category). In 2018 the young Polish photographer was invited to show his work in the exhibition "Post-Soviet Visions: Image and Identity in New Eastern Europe" organized by The Calvert Foundation in London. In November 2018 his photographs were presented in the exhibition "Here I Live" in the State Hermitage Museum in Saint Peteresburg during the 13th "Dialogue of Cultures" conference.

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Archigrafia

 

The form of the works that are part of the exhibition is oscillating between aesthetized documentation, abstract modification and collage (so called abstructures) mainly to present structures in convention of oniric dystopia. It was crucial to underline the enduring motifs in architecture with an emphasis on the form of a minimalist and repeatable prefabrication, which gives the illusion of ability to subordinate reality.

 

Architecture is often shown struggling with the passage of time. A point to think about, for example, is the condition and uncertain position of modernism in capitalist Poland. These photographs refer to the sociopolitical relations that characterized the epoch of which post-war modernism was the product.

 

The human aspect in the presented collection is often transmitted in a subcutaneous manner: the human touch never dominates, man is usually only a tenant here and even just a compositional complement. Individual categories of emotions and moods are more often expressed in a formal way and their carrier may be the architectural form itself.

The works are carried out in the years 2013-2018. The project will be continued as it is planned to be extended geographically by putting greater emphasis on the interpretation of icons of modern architecture outside of Poland. Many of the photographs were created or edited using a smartphone and mobile applications.

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Follow Jędrzej Franek on Instagram @archi.grafia